the photograph
by pamy
Summary: It is Harry's seventeent birtday and Remus has to find him a gift. oneshot.


He looked around. He had to find something to give to Harry. After all it was his seventeenth birthday. One of the most important days of his life. People were going to give him big gifts. They were going to spent a lot of money. But he couldn't do that. He had no money to spent. If Sirius would be here he would probably buy Harry something crazy. Just like he had done on James seventeenth birthday.

And James and Lilly, God if there was ever a day Harry would miss them it would be today. They should be here, on their sun's seventeenth birthday. But they weren't. Neither was Sirius. He closed his eyes, it was unbelievebel. The ones so strongly united marauders were no more. Of course he had known this for years. But somehow today it seemed more obvious then other days.

He couldn't believe that the betrayel of one friend had been enough to leave him alone. The only true friends he had ever had (in this he was of course not counting Tonks). They had accepted him for who he was and never made anny trouble about him being a werewolf. But then Peter had betrayed them and James and Lilly had died. And Sirius had been send to azkaban. And Peter had been 'dead'. And he had been alone.

But then the truth had come out and Sirius had been returned. Not the same Sirius as before, that was impossible, to much had happened. But still Sirius. Though azkaban had changed him Harry had brought up the best in him. And somehow he had felt that his friends had been returned to him. But then at that fatefull night at the ministery Sirius had died, and he had been left alone again.

And now he had Tonks, although somehow that wasn't the same. It was all different now, even if he survived this battle how could he live his life without his closest friends. Without them, who had never considered him different. All those happy memories they had shared, all those time they had laughed. All gone. Dissapeared in time. Vanished together with them.

And yet he still remembered, sometimes, sudden moments, times that were important, brought up happy memories. Like today. James and Lilly would have known what to get Harry. Sirius would have guessed, even Peter would have somehow known. But he didn't. He looked around, he knew Harry was aware that he had no money. He knew Harry wouldn't care what he'd get him, that he would be happy with anything.

But he cared. He had to get him something important, something that mattered. Something that brought something of James, Lilly and Sirius back into his life. But what? He started going trough his old stuff. Boxes, books, clothes, juwelery, old Hogwarts essays. He stopped when he found something between all that stuff. He looked at it and smiled. That was what he had been looking for.

Lupin appeared in the kitchen, scaring Mrs. Weasly. 'Lupin. I thought you weren't coming untill tonight.' 'No, I'm not staying yet. But I was passing by and I thought I'd come and give Harry's gift already.' 'Oh. I'll get him for you. You wait here.' Molly turned around and dissapeared upstairs.

Harry, Ron and Hermoini were upstairs cheking all of his gifts. Hermoini had the book in his hands the Dursley's had sent him (Didalus had probably made them get him something. Or maybe it had been Dudley's idea. Got nows.) Ron was cheking out the raizer Fleur and BIll had given him. And Harry was opening the box Fred and George had given him. And then suddenly there was a big BANG!!!!!

Hermoini dropped the book, Ron let go of the raizer and spent a couple of minutes chasing it and Harry dropped the box, causing something in it to explode. All three looked up, expecting something bad. But there in the middle of the room was standing...Dobby. 'Dobby. Never do that again.' Harry almost screamed. But then they all three started to laugh at Dobby's expression.

'What are you doing here Dobby?' Dobby smiled agan when he saw that Harry wasn't mad at him. 'I is here to wish Harry Potter a happy birthday!!' He grabbed a package from his socks. Hermoini laughed and asked 'Dobby are you wearing all of the socks we've given you over the years?' 'Yes!!!' Ron started to laugh. Harry took Dobby's present. 'Thank you Dobby.' He opened it reveiling a couple of socks (naturally) and a scarf. He smiled, Dobby had obviously made them himself. 'Thank you Dobby. You know what Dobby, you wanne stay for the birthday dinner?' Dobby started to jump from pure joy after this invitation.

At that Mrs. Weasly came in and she stopped in the doorway staring at Dobby. The three of them had gotten used to Dobby, but it had to be really weir to watch. A houseleff wearing about 50 socks, a maroon sweater, a tea cozy, and assortment of badges, about 30 hats and he was jumpin up and down. It had to be weird. Quickly they explained to Mrs. Weasly who Dobby was and that he was staying. At that Dobby inmeadialty offered to help, wich Mrs. Weasly loved.

He was still standing in the kitchen waiting. He looked at the cake that Molly had been making. He smiled a snitch, naturally. Harry came so suddenly that he jumped in surprise. Then he smiled. He looked at Harry, who looked so much like James, he had thought this about a billion of times, and yet it surprised him every time.

'Happy birtday Harry!' 'Thanks. Hey I thought you weren't coming untill tonight?' 'Well yeah, but I was passing the burrow and I thought I would dropp in to give you your present. It isn't anything big but.' Harry smiled and took the gift from him. It was packed in red papere with a lion on it. He unpacked it to reveal a picture frame.

The picture frame had to be about 20 years old (give or take) but it didn't matter. He stared at it, smiling. It was a picture taking in hogsmeade. On it was a seventeen year old James who had his arm around a seventeen year old Lilly. At James other side stood Sirius who was acting crazy. Next to Sirius stood Lupin. Lupin was trying to act normally and not laugh, but Sirius was acting so crazy that that was impossible.

And he just looked at the picture. He didn't know what to say or what to do. 'It was taken in our last year.' Remus broke the silence. 'We were in hogsmeade and James said lets make a picture. I believe his words were a serious picture. But as you can see that didn't exactly work out. Peter's not on the picture because he wasn't there at the moment. I figured you didn't have this picture since there were only four of it.' Silence.

Harry was still looking at the picture. He knew that Remus was expecting him to say something. But he didn't know what to say. He couldn't word what he felt. He had never seen his parents nor sirius when they were his age. (except in Snape's memory of course) and now he had in his hands the prove that they had once gone to Hogwarts. Once acted so crazy, as if nothing could harm them. As if they'd live forever.

He didn't knew what to say, but he didn't have to say anything. His face, his smile and his unabilaty to say anything said enough. Remus realised he had found it, without having to buy anything. The perfect gift.


End file.
